Eye to eye for first time

Biershenk regains lead, will square off with Tschudin in Hooters tourney.

Biershenk regains lead, will square off with Tschudin in Hooters tourney.

May 21, 2006|STEVE WOZNIAK Tribune Staff Writer

GRANGER -- They spent three days chasing each other at Knollwood Country Club. Now, Tommy Biershenk and Andrew Tschudin will finally get to face each other. In Saturday's third round of the Hooters Tour LaSalle Bank Pro Golf Classic, Biershenk fired a 6-under-par 66 to take back the tournament lead he lost Friday to Melbourne, Australia's Tschudin. Tschudin missed countless birdie putts on his way to a 1-under 71 Saturday, leaving him at 13-under for the tournament and one shot back of Biershenk, a native of Boiling Springs, S.C. Michael Lavery of Mission Viejo, Calif., fired his second consecutive 67 to grab a share of third place at 11-under with Justin Walters of Raleigh, N.C. "I probably played better than I did (Friday)," said Tschudin. "I just couldn't get any putts to drop like they did before." Tschudin combined two birdies with a bogey and 15 pars for his round. But it could have been so much better. "On 9, 10, 11, 12, I hit four good putts that just ran over the edge," said Tschudin, "If those fall, I guess it's a whole different round." Even on 18, Tschudin's long and curving birdie putt from the fringe -- which would have put him into a share of the lead -- caught the edge of the cup before rolling a few feet past the hole. Biershenk, who began the day four strokes down to Tschudin, bogeyed the 2nd hole before rolling off six birdies in a nine-hole stretch to briefly take the lead at 13-under. Then, for the second time in two days, he ended up in one of the backyards that line the course. His approach shot to the 15th green was long, and bounced off the cart path and out of bounds. Biershenk hit the green with his next shot, and sank an eight-foot putt to save bogey and a share of the lead. "That's what happens when you have to play from the rough," said Biershenk. "I kind of hit a knuckleball, and I knew it was long. "Driving is so key here," he added. "If you hit the ball well off the tee, this course can be easy. If you're playing from the rough all day, it can be really tough." He then eagled the par-5 16th to take a two-stroke lead, and Tschudin, playing in the last group behind Biershenk, couldn't catch up, only getting a birdie himself on the 16th. Nick Rousey of Pensacola, Fla., who began the day three strokes behind Tschudin in second place, struggled to a 1-over-par 73. After nailing a birdie putt on the 13th green, he even threw up his arms in mock celebration, or maybe exasperation. Lavery will play in today's final threesome with Beirshenk and Tschudin, who have never been played in the same group. "He's obviously a great player, to shoot what he did," Biershenk said of the Aussie. "It'll be exciting to play in the final group. I've done it before, so I know how much fun it can be." While Biershenk won on the Hooters Tour just three weeks ago, Tschudin has not won since last June's Michelob Ultra Championship at Wild Wing Plantation in Conway, S.C. Rolling Prairie's Mat Blair began the day 11 shots off the lead. It didn't get any better for the Michigan City Golf Course pro. Starting from the No. 10 tee, Blair bogeyed the 11th hole before taking a quadruple-bogey 8 on the par-4 12th. Four birdies after the turn only let him finish with a somewhat respectable 2-over-par 74. Former Notre Dame golfer Todd Vernon shot a 70 in the third round to go to 4-under for the tournament.